This is All We Know
by Tay1019411
Summary: It's been years since the asteroid. Danny and the gang are now attending college together, each pursuing careers, forming new relationships, and amending past rivalries. But, this new chapter in life starts to get more complicated with ghost attacks increasing and old enemies teaming up (Post PP but Danny/Vlad DIDN'T reveal identities. Fentons and Valerie know Danny's secret)
1. Coffee Break

**_A little note to readers: This is post phantom planet story, but neither Vlad nor Danny revealed their secret identities to the world. However, Valerie and the Fentons know Danny's secret along with the small group of the people at the North Pole during the episode. Also, this is a little experiment with story styles, it's a group of small stories connected together by similar events and a single problem. I wanted to do it this way because I wanted to play with different character perspectives and to cut out fillers and just do fun/interesting moments. Hope you like it!_**

* * *

 **Coffee Break**

"Thank you, have a good night," Sam exclaimed to the last of her customers.

She sighed, losing the all too cheery smile she had on her face the minute the door to the coffee store closed.

She quickly made her way to the door, switching the open sign to closed before any last minute caffeine addicts could force their way in for a fix.

She walked through the shop, eyeing the discarded trash and coffee cups on the many tables. She rolled her eyes. There was literally a trash can almost five feet away, but she didn't dare underestimate the power of laziness in society anymore, especially not after working at the shop for over a year.

It was true that her parents were more than willing to pay her way through her botany degree, that of which she managed to finish her third semester of the four year program. However, she didn't exactly enjoy her parents paying for everything, opting for a little bit of independence in the form of a small part time job at one of the local coffee shops just five minutes away from campus. There was the added bonus of free coffee at any time and some pretty impressive latte-making skills. It also helped that the store was so small, it usually only took one person to work each shift, something she was greatly thankful for.

A light tapping at the door caught her attention. She almost groaned, hoping it wasn't some person hoping they could beg their way in for some leftover caffeine.

Already steeling herself for the impending fight in her near future, she turned towards the door.

The guy standing at the door smiled at her. She could recognize those blue eyes and famously messy black hair anywhere. And if she needed anymore evidence that it was him, his eyes flashed a bright green, momentarily obscuring the features of his face.

She shook her head with a smile, unlocking the door so he could get in.

"Hey," he said, bending down so he could give her a kiss. He was at least a whole head taller than her, something she had to come to terms with since his growth spurt in the tenth grade.

"Hey, Danny," she said back, before locking the door behind him. "I told you, you didn't have to come see me tonight."

He raised his eyebrows. "You did?"

She walked behind the counter to get all the cleaning supplies out. "Yeah, I texted you."

"Oh, my phone's broken again."

She eyed him. "Isn't that like the fifth time this month?"

"Yeah, ghost fights don't really mix well with cell phones. I'm thinking about asking Dad if he could make it ghost proof or something," he shrugged. "He managed to make everything else ghost proof."

"He probably could," she conceded, then smiled at her boyfriend. "But, do you think that's kinda counter-productive."

"What do you mean?"

"You're also a ghost," she pointed out with a knowing smile.

"Point," he deadpanned. "Okay, maybe only full-ghost-proof."

She laughed. "So how was your day? Know it must have been boring since both Tucker and I had work."

"The usual plus a couple ghost fights. I hung out with Dash a bit too," he laughed at some silent joke. "He is still trying to convince me to try out for the university's football team so we can play together. Thinks I should show off some ghost-fighting moves. Might be fun."

She frowned at this as she pulled out the mop bucket and started filling it with hot water and soap. "I'm starting to think Tucker is the only smart one out of you three."

"Tucker is going to film it."

Sam sighed. "I stand corrected. You are all idiots."

"But, we are your idiots."

"Unfortunately," she allowed. "You and Dash need to stop hanging out. I miss the old days when he used to beat you up. At least back then, the world was safe from your combined stupid ideas."

Danny laughed, not at all bothered by his girlfriend's comment. "Yeah, doubt that is ever gonna happen. Looks like the world will have to continue to live in fear."

"Aren't you supposed to be the hero?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't expect me to bail you guys out of jail or anything."

"Who said we are going to jail?"

"Oh, you will. I'm just waiting."

He wasn't at all deterred by this. "Tucker will bail us out."

"Tucker would most likely be there with you two."

"You're probably right about that one," he said after a short pause of thought.

He leaned against the counter, smirking at her. "But, anyway I'm here to trade my labor for coffee."

She laughed, "Is that all?"

"Probably some kisses too."

Sam smiled at him, then winked. "I probably can arrange that."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"So," she said, breaking away from the bucket of water and soap she was making, and walked over towards the espresso machine to get in position. "What would you like?"

"Coffee. Black."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're being pretty boring today."

Ever since she first started, Danny came in regularly to visit her, which was normally at night because she was mainly given closing shifts, which was much appreciated since she was more of a night owl than an early bird. He pretty much tried everything on the menu and then joined her in experimenting when there was nothing legitimate left to explore.

"I know," he said, "but I just need something quick and easy. I'm pretty exhausted."

She stopped what she was doing, eyeing him more closely. Danny was pretty good at hiding just exactly how tired he was, but after years and years of experience, she knew the tell-tale signs. There were faint bags under his eyes, faint enough that nobody would notice if they weren't looking. His eyes also seemed a little less brighter than usual and were half-lidded. This plus that fact that he actually voiced he was tired had her a little bit concerned, but she didn't dare show this.

"How many nights?"

"Only two," he said, looking at her intently, searching for any signs of what she was really thinking.

She feigned disinterest. "Well, you are definitely coming home with me so you can actually get some sleep tonight."

He laughed. "Sam, if I come over to your apartment, I won't really want to sleep."

She flustered, feeling warmth spread across her cheeks, but she tried to hide it with a scowl. "Well, you're going to have to," she said snarkily, then turned to pour coffee in a large cup for him. She also snuck in a shot of espresso.

When she face him again, he was smiling at her, his eyes roaming over her, completely unabashed from being caught checking her out.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him. "Here," she said, extending the cup towards him. "Before you pass out."

"Thanks," he smirked, taking the cup from her.

Her smile grew smaller, though, when she saw a thick bandage, peaking out from under his coat sleeve.

"Is that from today?" she said, again trying to be calm. It wasn't like this was the first time he showed signs of ghost fights, but they were more noticeable now because he was getting fewer and fewer over the years.

"Huh?" he said, taking a long sip of his coffee.

She eyed his arm meaningfully, then looked at him.

Danny followed her eyes, looking down at his arm, then shrugged. "Yeah," he said. "It was SkulkTech."

"SkulkTech?" she asked, turning to the coffee makers so she could start dumping out the coffee. On a second thought, she filled another large cup for Danny, before continuing.

"Yeah, was going to tell you about that, but broken phone," he said. She could practically hear the shrug in his voice.

"Is that still a yikes?"

She looked back at him just in time to see him really shrug. "Should be, but I still can't get past the ew part."

"Well, that happened a lot faster than we thought," Sam said with her back to him. She pulled the coffee makers back from the sink and put them in their respective places in the coffee machine, pressing the buttons so hot water would start running in them.

She, then turned towards the discarded bucket, now filled almost entirely with soapy water, pulling the mop from its place before bringing it out to the sitting area.

"Yeah," he said, walking behind the counter.

For a second, she thought he was getting the second cup she poured for him, but he walked out with a rag and spray bottle in hand.

"It's kinda surreal seeing him," he said, setting the rag and spray bottle on one of the tables to shed his winter coat off. He was wearing a short-sleeved tshirt. Usually, Sam wouldn't have minded this, especially since it gave her the chance to appreciate his strong biceps and forearms, having been forged from years of ghost-fighting, but the site was marred by the bandage that was wrapped around one of his arms, starting at his wrist and ending just before the beginning of his elbow. There were already red spots on it.

Sam could feel her mouth twist with displeasure, but quickly concealed it when he faced her once more.

He started picking up the abandoned trash on the tables to throw away. He paused briefly with a blank expression. "Wait—him—them? Are they still two ghosts? Or one?"

Sam shrugged, before plunging the mop into the bucket. "Don't ask me; I'm still getting over the fact that they actually merged."

"Maybe they just got tired of losing." He sprayed the nearest table, then began to work on it, using the rag to rub out the many coffee stains.

Sam chewed the bottom of her lip as she mopped the first section of the little shop. She didn't want to tell him what she was really feeling. That she was scared of this. It seemed like all of his enemies were starting to learn new tricks and were beginning to go to new extremes just to beat him. Danny was pretty good at being Phantom. Hell, he was getting pretty good at being both Fenton and Phantom. He was doing surprisingly well in college despite being undecided about his major; he was also going into fights with a little more strategy too. He was finally mastering the balancing act of being both a superhero and a regular guy. She just hoped he could keep it up.

"SkulkTech…" Danny said, sounding like he still couldn't believe it. "You know," he smiled at her. "I really need to start censoring my stalkers. They are just getting too creepy for me. Talk about obsessive behaviors."

At the site of his smile, Sam swallowed down whatever darker emotions she was feeling. She didn't want to worry him by making a big deal out of this. He was Danny after all and was very different from the newly formed half-ghost fourteen year-old he used to be. He could handle a lot and most importantly now, he knew when to ask for help if he needed it, something she finally drilled into that thick skull of his.

"They should all make a club," she smiled. "Paulina could be president."

Danny shivered at the thought. "Five years and she is still chasing Phantom." Then he smirked. "But, I think she would have a run for her money with Mr. Mayor."

"Speaking of Vlad," she said, starting the next section of the floor, attacking a particularly stubborn spot of dried coffee. "Do you think we should really take that truce he wants seriously?"

Danny paused mid-wipe to shrug at her, then continued what he was doing. "I don't really know. He seemed kinda adamant about it. He's even been giving Dad an easier time and stopped hitting on Mom—thank God."

"Could be a trap," she said as she pounded the mop into the bucket of soapy water, adding to the finality in her voice.

"You always think it's a trap," he said exasperatedly, but there was amusement in his eyes.

"Because it usually is."

He laughed. "True."

She eyed him as he moved onto another table—one of the last. "But you don't think it is this time."

"No," he confirmed without missing a beat.

She stopped, staring at him curiously. Leaning against the mop with one of her arms resting on the top of the handle, she said, "Okay, I'll bite. Why not?"

Danny looked at her then. "It's going to sound dumb."

She just looked at him with eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue.

He huffed, seeing how she wasn't going to let him out of this one. He raked his dark locks back in a restless motion, the only thing that showed his agitation on being grilled. She smiled at him, secretly drinking in the site of him. Even though they started dating at the ripe age of fifteen, she felt the same way as if it was the first time she looked at him, butterflies and all.

"I've been thinking a lot about the other future lately—the one with the evil me—maybe because of SkulkTech," he shrugged, determined to play it off as if it was no big deal. "I don't really know, but in that future there was a different Vlad. He was a better Vlad. Maybe that's happening now."

"I think you might be getting your hopes up on that one," she said matter-of-factly. She wasn't trying to be mean or bring Danny down, but it was her duty as the cynical straight-shooting member of Team Phantom to point this out.

"Maybe," he conceded. "But, can you blame me, Sam?"

He noticed the questioning look she shot him. "I've been half-ghost for five years by myself, and there are still some things that take me by surprise, a lot I don't know too. Vlad has twenty-five years. Do you know how much easier it would be if he was on our side. And, not for the ghost fighting—I can handle that, but for the other stuff. I have so many questions. Just having somebody to figure it out with me would be nice."

Sam frowned at him, more unhappy that this was the first time she was hearing these feelings from Danny than about the sudden warmth for the older halfa. "You've given this a lot of thought."

He shrugged uncommittedly at her before moving to the to-go stand, starting to restock the sugars, straws, and utensils. "Not as much as you think. I'm not crying myself to sleep every night if that's what you're getting at. Just always something that was in the back of my mind, even when I was fourteen. The woulda-shoulda-coulda's, you know?"

"But, now it actually could happen," she said. For a second, she was able to see Danny's point-of-view. It must have been pretty scary not knowing anything about his future in that way. There wasn't much precedence for half-ghosts, and no matter how much his parents threw themselves into research, they weren't going to have all the answers. There were still many things they didn't know about half-ghosts.

At this, she felt a twinge of sadness for him, hating how this was what happened to him. He was such a good person; he didn't deserve this. Even though being Phantom was something both the world and he needed, it still had its price.

"Yeah, it would just make things easier," he said.

They worked silently for a few minutes. Having finished the floor, Sam went behind the counter to dump out the now-dirty mop water, and began working on washing the milk canteens and many muffin trays.

"He offered to pay for the rest of my college tuition," Danny said, joining her behind the counter so he could wipe it with his rag. He wasn't looking at his handiwork, instead looking at her reaction.

She kept her face neutral, resisting the urge to scowl. "All of it?"

"Every year," he said.

"Wow," she said. "We haven't even started our fourth semester yet. That pretty much sets you up for the next two and a half years. Are you going to do it?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "Feels kind of weird accepting money from him."

"If you really think he is serious about this whole truce thing, well I don't see how it would be too weird." She cut her eyes back at him, smirking. "He's a billionaire, Danny. I think he can spare a little."

He didn't say anymore about it, neither confirming nor denying he was going to go through with it.

"But, if you do take this money, I guess this means you will have to finally pick a major."

He smiled at her, reaching across her to drop the rag in the other section of the sink. "Already ahead of you. I was thinking medicine or something like that. I've patched myself up enough times to know a thing or two about it already. Who would have thought the superhero business was good for something other than learning how to punch."

He smiled at her then, which she returned with a frown. "That's not funny."

He rolled his eyes at her, but his smiled remained. "You gotta admit it's a little. I thought you were supposed to be the one with the dark sense of humor."

"Not when the jokes are so bad."

"Sam Manson, I will get you one day," he said, mock glaring at her.

She flicked water at him and leaned closer into his direction. "You will never get me, ghost-boy."

He drew in closer to her, so close she could practically feel his body heat. She inhaled sharply, taking in just how handsome he was, especially with the mischievous half smile on his face. It sent her brain into a flurry of thoughts and the butterflies in her stomach soaring, but she refused to show how much of an effect he had on her.

"You know, Sam," he said, "even though you are usually right about a lot of things, I hope you are wrong on that one."

She couldn't say anything. She couldn't even stop the goofy smile that she knew was on her face. Instead, she turned back to the dishes and began rinsing them off.

With a chuckle, he kiss her cheek, then went behind her in the other section behind the counter to start refilling the many containers of powders.

She eyed his backside hungrily, watching as he crouched down to pull out the boxes of excess powders to fill the containers with.

After rinsing the last of the dishes, she started the cleaning cycle on the espresso machine, then began pulling the frozen pastries out that needed to be proofed for the next morning.

"Why do you think he is doing all of this?" she finally said, returning to their previous conversation. She was still skeptical but was more willing to believe there might be good intentions.

"I think he still feels bad about the whole Disasteroid thing."

She growled at this. "Well, it was his fault it got so out of hand in the first place."

Vlad Masters wasn't exactly the cause of the Disasteroid coming for earth, but he did try to use it to his advantage by striking a deal as his alter ego Plasmius with the world leaders, practically holding the world hostage in exchange for turning the asteroid intangible and saving them all. In the end, it didn't work out because it was made out of ectoranium, a substance that no ghost could touch without experiencing intense pain. Luckily, Danny's plan to turn the earth intangible saved the day, but it was a pretty close call. The only thing good that seemed to come out of the whole catastrophe was his parents finding out his secret, along with a select few at the North Pole, who were sworn into secrecy after.

After that, Vlad laid low as Masters, throwing himself more into his role as the mayor of Amity. It took a while for Danny to accept that he was no longer scheming, but over time, he eventually only regarded Vlad as more of an annoyance than a threat.

"Can't argue with that," he said as he filled the last container with cocoa powder before putting all the boxes away, "but he hasn't done anything since. Another reason why I think he is serious about this. After all, he isn't the first person to change."

"Okay, okay," she said, putting the trays of pasties on the racks so they could sit over night. She turned towards him then. "We can give him a chance."

He stood up, rubbing his hands together to get some stray cocoa powder off. He raised an eyebrow at her. "That was easy."

"Just let me talk to him first."

He rolled his eyes. "And there it is."

She glared at him. "There what is?"

He shook his head at her, more amused by her glare than scared. "You're going to threaten him, aren't you?"

She smirked, looking suddenly wicked. Holding her hand up to show her pointer finger separated marginally from the top of her thumb, she said, "Only a little."

"Aren't I'm supposed to be the hero?"

"So?"

"Meaning I can threaten my enemies just fine, Sam, thank you very much."

She walked up to him, giving him a brief hug before pulling away to pat his cheek with one of her hands. "Sure, babe, whatever you think."

The moment was broken by a big yawn from the halfa.

Sam smiled knowingly at him. "Ready to go home? You look pretty tired."

He smirked at her in a mischievous way, but the expression didn't quite reach his tired eyes. "I am all for going home with _you_."

She gave him the second cup of coffee she poured for him earlier and started leading him out the door. She knew exactly what he meant in his last statement but was determined to deter him. "You didn't sleep for two days already. No. You're sleeping."

"I don't mind making it three."

"Well, I mind."

She finished locking the door, then turned to him. He really did look tired; it was more obvious now than it was before.

She smiled at him. "Thank you for coming to help me."

She gave him a long kiss, long enough for her to feel the sparks between them she normally felt.

He smiled at her when they parted. "For you, anything."


	2. Late Night Talks

"Hey, Fruitloop."

Vlad sighed, although the nickname annoyed him, he barely felt any contempt for it anymore. He looked up from his many documents and mounds of paperwork to see the very familiar form of Daniel Fenton standing in the doorway, smirking at him.

Even after all these years, it still sent a slight jolt of shock to see the very tall form of Daniel Fenton, truly taking after his father. No matter how long the man knew him, he still couldn't get the image of the young fourteen-year-old out if his head whenever he thought of the younger halfa.

The older halfa tried to fight a smile, instead opting to sigh at the boy. "I really dislike that name."

Daniel shrugged, walking into the room and unceremoniously plopping down on one of the plush chairs in front of Vlad's desk. "Old habits die hard."

Vlad smirked. "Whatever you say, Little Badger."

The younger halfa winced. "Okay, I see your point."

The man chuckled. "Now, that we got that settled. What are you doing here so late?"

Vlad eyed the clock for effect. It was nearly half past midnight. Usually, Daniel visited during the day, whether it was between classes or on an errand for his parents, something that was a usual occurrence since the recent partnership between the Fentons and Vlad.

The boy gave him a sheepish look, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry, I didn't realize how late it was. I was out on patrol and saw your lights on. Just figured…"

The man put down his pen, giving him his undivided attention. "And figured you would pay me a visit?"

Daniel shrugged, looking to the side. "I've been thinking about some things lately. Well, kinda worrying, and you're pretty much the only one who I can talk to about…these things."

Vlad only raised an eyebrow at this, still not following what the younger halfa was trying to say.

The two were silent for a long moment, with Vlad patiently waiting for the young man to continue on.

Vlad looking at him more closely, usually Danny needed very little pretense to talk to him. It wasn't like him to struggle with words—usually he just blurted out whatever was on his mind. The boy, very much like his father, didn't have any semblance of a filter.

"You know you can ask me anything, Daniel," Vlad prompted.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, then looked up at the man. "Why did you reach out to me?"

The man raised an eyebrow at this. Although he was unable to fathom what topic had the boy so uncomfortable, he knew for certain this was not it. But, if the boy needed something else to focus on instead of whatever what was on his mind, the man would not push. So, he played along.

He sighed, beginning to fiddle with the over-extravagant pen in his hands. Although he was humoring the boy in his distraction from whatever was worrying him so much, this was a topic that made him uncomfortable. But, he owed Daniel this much. "That's a very difficult question. One that has an answer too long for this time of the night."

"I've got time, besides my first class doesn't start til 12:30 tomorrow."

The man was silent, trying to contemplate how the boy would react. He knew Daniel had been undeservingly gracious so far, but could he really push his luck any further? The boy had ample and justifiable reasons to hate the man.

Apparently, the boy saw Vlad's hesitation for what it was. He leaned in towards the man, pinning him with that unwavering blue gaze of his. "Look, I know what you are thinking, but we are past the grudges and all the things you did in the past. I promised I would give you a second chance, and that's not going to change. Not unless you do something now. All I want to know is why."

Vlad smiled at him. For a second, he couldn't help but admire how strong of a man he was becoming. "When did you become so grown-up?"

Daniel smirked at him, reminding him of the younger fourteen year old version of the man in front of him. Somehow, he was comforted that the boy didn't entirely change, that he was still the Danny Fenton he first met. "Guess I had to after saving the world a couple times. But, you are stalling, now. Compliments won't get you anywhere with me."

Vlad laughed, but soon sobered up. He heaved a sigh, trying to find the right words. The right way to explain this. "It is very hard to explain this. Very difficult." He looked up at Daniel. "But, I owe you this much, if not more."

The man stood, somehow finding himself looking out the window. It was easier this way. Talking to the boy, but not really talking to him. It was as if he could convince himself the boy was no longer in the room and he was talking to only himself as long as he remained where he was, looking out at the clusters of dark trees under a starry blanket. And, so, he pretended, his gaze never straying.

"I wasn't like you in the beginning. When you become half-ghost, your very being determines the nature of that other part of you. Your ghostly nature is determined by your human one. In the beginning, I was so angry, so hurt. I pushed whatever love your parents had for me away because it wasn't the kind of love I wanted. I was stuck all by myself in that hospital for so long with this condition I didn't even understand. It was of both my own doing at the same time it wasn't. And, all that pain, all that rage fed the other me.

I realize, now, how foolish I've been. That was the one difference between you and me, Daniel. You could have gone down the same path I did. You could have decided to be the victim, but you didn't."

"I had Tucker and Sam."

Vlad didn't look back at the halfa. Shaking his head, he answered, "You could have pushed them away. Just as easily as I pushed your mother and father away. Do not try to paint me in a way as if this was not my own doing, because it very much was. I felt the change at the time, I felt the rage. I could have stopped it.

For twenty years, I let that rage consume me. My other half as a conduit for it. I became Vlad Plasmius. I became something inhuman. Consumed me so much that I lost sight of everything. After the asteroid, after what I did, I suppose it shocked me back. Something that was buried so deep inside of me started to show—I realized it was me—my humanity. I grabbed at it, and with that came a flood of emotions I haven't let myself feel for so long, guilt, pain, loss. I realized how truly terrible I was, all the crimes, the atrocities, every vile thing I have done. Everything I have ever done haunted me; it still does."

Vlad took a breath. Talking about that experience was more difficult than he thought. He still felt the flood of emotions from time to time, in sudden waves, so large sometimes it felt like the first time—when it consumed him so fully. But, he reminded himself every time that this was good. It was good to feel, no matter what emotion it was. It meant he was human.

"I came here to hopefully earn some bit of redemption for everything I have done. I felt like making amends with you and doing whatever I can to help you was a good start. So, was resuming my role as mayor, but instead, with good intentions. Since my ghost form is now the most wanted in the human world, Masters seemed to be a good way to hide since nobody knows he and I are one and the same.

"All for the best. I never want to be that monster again."

"Have you turned yet?"

Vlad turned to Daniel, leaning back on the windowsill. "I'm sorry?"

"You know, gone ghost," Daniel supplied.

Vlad, despite the situation, had to smile at the phrase, remembering how it used to be the boy's battle cry long ago. "No. Not since the asteroid."

Daniel frowned. "Do you miss it? The powers."

The older man shrugged.

"Vlad," the boy began, pursing his lips disapprovingly—reminding the man of Maddie Fenton. She used to do the exact same thing when Jack and he would get into trouble at college—which was often, especially with Jack Fenton coming up with the plans. "You can't be afraid of your ghost half. I don't think turning away completely from that side of you is going to do any good. It's a part of you, you just need to find that balance and looks like you're pretty closing to finding it."

Vlad looked away. "What if that part of me truly is evil, like a real ghost? What would happen to me then?"

"I don't think it's either just the human or the ghost nature. I think this was the man."

"So you think it was me?"

"I know this is pretty harsh," Daniel said, giving the man a hard look. "But, yes. But let me explain, so I don't sound like a complete douchebag. Unfortunately, something that I had to learn, being half ghost, having this much power, it means we can't screw up like everybody else. Simple things, like getting mad or cheating on a test, turn into big things. We are more responsible. We are not like everybody else. What we do has more effects, affect more people—hurts them.

"But, what I'm saying is, it's not the ghost or the human, it's us. It's who we are, the choices we make, what we choose to stand for."

Vlad looked at the young halfa with wide eyes. He couldn't help it. He knew the shocked expression he was giving the boy must have been offending, but he really couldn't help it. What he said earlier to him rang in his head, _when did you become so grown-up_?

"You know, with the way you are looking at me, I can't tell if I should be insulted or flattered that I've stumped you so hard. I am twenty, you know."

"Daniel, I don't care if you were a hundred, no person would be able to match what you just told me. No person should have to go through whatever taught you that lesson. What happened?"

The boy looked away. "It was a long time ago."

"How long?"

"I was fourteen."

"What happened?" the man repeated.

The boy shifted uncomfortably. "I saw what would happen if I ever screw up. That's what happened. And trust me, it was much worse than what you did."

"You know you aren't making any sense right now, right?"

The boy smiled sadly at the man, looking more aged than he ever had. "Yeah, I know."

"And, you are not going to tell me?" the man deduced, not knowing if he truly wanted to find out what exactly happened to the boy, what gave him such a haunted, tired look.

"I'm sorry, maybe another time, but just trust me on this, don't be afraid of that other part of you. You are different, I can see that much. Besides," the boy leaned back, his expression changing to an almost dreamy one, "you probably miss the hell out of flying."

The man laughed. "I bet that was _your_ favorite part, huh?"

Daniel chuckled. "Still is. Couldn't imagine not being able to."

"Well, I'm happy to see some things still haven't changed."

Daniel looked at the man with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

Vlad smiled, somehow comforted by this. Apparently, the boy's love of flying wasn't the only thing that remained the same. He was still hopelessly clueless. "It's not anything bad. I'm just still trying to get over how much you've grown; you are no longer that fourteen year old I met at that college reunion. I'm proud of you."

The boy blushed lightly, breaking eye contact with the man, but before he could do so, the man saw a smile on his face.

"But," the man continued, "you still haven't told me what brought you here."

The man almost laughed at the shocked expression on the younger halfa's face. "Wha?"

"Oh, come now, Daniel, I'm not nearly as clueless as you. I do know when someone is stalling. And, you don't exactly have a poker face."

Daniel looked away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. He settled down in his office chair. "It cannot be that bad."

"Not bad, more awkward, I guess." The boy paused, giving his older counterpart a wary look. "I was in bio class, and we started talking about animal hybrids."

Vlad only raised an eyebrow, not knowing where Daniel was going with this. He highly doubted the boy could tell him anything he didn't know about being a halfa. When Vlad first realized what happened to him, he spent years researching possible cures for his condition until he stopped looking.

"I doubt we have anything in common with them. Animals are far from paranormal."

"But couldn't the same principles apply though?"

"What principles?"

Daniel blushed, scarlet red reaching the tips of his ears. "Uh, reproducing."

Vlad looked at the boy, shocked. He knew Daniel was seeing Sam Manson. "Did you…"

Daniel blanched. "Uh no, God, no!" He waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head repeatedly.

At this point, in all his years on this earth, Vlad had never felt so awkward, especially with what he was about to ask next. "Are you," he paused shifting uncomfortably in his chair, "uh, being safe?"

The boy looked at him with a horrified expression on his face. "Are you really trying to give me the sex talk?"

"So, you know about, you know?" God, he couldn't believe he was doing this, but still, he felt obligated in some weird protective way.

Daniel groaned. "Yes, Vlad, I know about condoms!"

"Okay," Vlad gulped, silently thankful he didn't have to go any further than that.

"Moving on from that," Daniel said, changing the subject as fast as he could. His face was still beet red. "I wasn't talking about that. In class, they said hybrids are infertile. They can't reproduce at all."

Daniel stopped and looked at Vlad again.

"And, you're wondering if that is the case for us?" The older man confirmed.

"Yeah. I mean, obviously Sam and I aren't doing anything right now, but she talks about that stuff, you know? Like the future and all. She even mentioned how she wanted kids—it just made me think about it. There is so much I still don't know, like this—can I even have kids, or can I have them and they just come out all mutated?"

The man looked a Daniel, then, more sympathetic than ever to the boy because he knew the answer, and that he probably wouldn't like it. He also understood how the boy must be feeling, the same frustration with the unknown as he once dealt with. They were the only two people that were like the way they were. Unfortunately, that meant they were left to figure everything out on their own. While there were many benefits to being a halfa, like their immune systems being stronger, immunity to many gases and forms of poisons, enhanced strength and senses, there were some disadvantages as well.

"You can still have kids," he said, looking to the side. He still felt a little uncomfortable with the subject. "But, it would be harder. The ghost part of our DNA wouldn't be accepted, so it would have to be left to chance—for the human part of your DNA to align with hers during the first stages of reproduction. If the ghost part were to, then either there would be no pregnancy or there could be miscarriages. It's not impossible, but it's difficult for sure. It all depends on a game of chance."

"I guess that was kind of the answer I expected," Daniel finally said after taking a moment to digest what the older man said. "That seems to always be the answer with being a half-ghost, kinda a good and bad one."

Vlad didn't say anything. What would he say? That it would all be better soon. Danny was right. Being a half-ghost wasn't exactly a walk in the park. There were certain things full humans took for granted that both he and the younger man couldn't.

"I'm sorry," the man finally said.

The younger halfa shook his head. "Don't be. Sam and I will do what we always do and figure it out. Besides, we have a long time for that."

"Will you talk to your parents about it?" the man said, knowing full well the Fentons would throw themselves in finding a solution for their son.

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe when it gets closer to that point, but not right now. You know how obsessed they can get with their work. I wouldn't want them worrying about this. It's finally starting to get a little bit normal again."

The man raised an eyebrow at this.

Seeing the man's questioning look, Daniel rolled his eyes. "Don't ask."

Vlad laughed at this, only imagining what Maddie and Jack have been putting their son through in the last couple of years since the Disasteroid and finding out their son was a half-ghost superhero.

Vlad was about to ask again what exactly has been going on in the Fenton household until a very family blue mist escaped the boy's mouth. Said boy groaned. Daniel stood from his seat, looking more annoyed than anything else. "And, that is my cue."

In a flash, Daniel was Phantom. The man could only smile at this, feeling, just like every time he watched the boy change, a sense of comradery. After all this time, he finally felt like he was no longer alone in more ways than one.

"Hey, Vlad?"

"Hmm?"

The boy smiled at him. "Thanks."

The younger halfa made a move to leave but was stopped by the man calling out his name. The boy turned to look at the man. "Yeah?"

"Be careful."

Daniel laughed. "No promises."

And, then he was gone, leaving the man to his work once more, but somehow, like after all his interactions with the younger half-ghost, he felt ten times lighter.


	3. Double Trouble

"Jack, I still can't get this part to bend right?"

Jack looked up from his tinkering to his wife, giving the part in her hand a critical look over. "Maybe we should use a different material?"

"I can't find another material like this that is nearly as conductive."

"We might need to add some heat then to make it more pliable."

"Is the torch still broken?" she asked, eyeing her husband with an annoyed look. Last week, her husband decided it was a good idea to break the torch down for parts for another invention idea. Said idea didn't work out so well, ending in another small explosion, like most his projects did. Said torch, however, was still in shambles on the workbench across the room.

Jack blushed lightly and laughed nervously while scratching the back of his neck. "I'll get on that."

"What is this meant to do again?" asked Vlad Masters. He was sitting across from Maddie and Jack, giving the various glowing parts in the center of the work table a puzzled look. He was eying them carefully as if they might bite him in the next minute, which seemed completely ridiculous to Jack. He knew Vlad did his own inventing, but then again, there was always a big chance for spontaneous combustions with most of his work, so he really couldn't blame is friend.

"It's something to help Danny," Jack said to his friend. Usually he and his wife were careful when explaining the true motivations behind most of their inventions, but recently, both parents were made aware by their son that their best friend from college knew about his half ghost status.

Jack had to admit he was relieved Vlad knew because he didn't want to hide anything from him, and it even seemed to have brought the Fenton family and their old college friend closer together, something Jack has been trying for years to do. He was happy to finally have things the way they used to be and Vlad was really a big help with Danny. Sometimes he seemed to truly connect with Danny even more than Jack or Maddie could.

"How is this going to help him?"

"We are trying to make a device that can increase his energy when fighting," Maddie said, her eyes still glued to the part she was working on. "Like an energy boost. But, we are having some troubles with the aftereffects. That's why we called you over here. We thought another brain could help, especially one that is just as well-verse in ecto-technology. It has the same general idea as the ectosuit you helped us with that one time."

"Yeah, same idea, just smaller and easier to hide," Jack smirked.

Just as Vlad was about to reply, the sound of the ghost alarms went off, lights flashing in the basement turned laboratory.

"A ghost?" Maddie yelled over the noise, rushing to the computer console to the other side of the room to silence the alarms.

"Do you know where it is?"

"City Park," Vlad answered.

Jack turned to the man. "How do you," but the questioned died in his throat as he saw what the mayor was looking at. The small T.V. was turned on to the news, showing his son in his ghost form fighting two ghosts.

"Do you think he needs our help?" Jack said, staring at the fight.

The T.V. showed Danny blocking an ectoblast from Ember's guitar, only to be surprised by SkulkTech delivering a swift slash to the unsuspecting halfa's back.

"I'm going to kill those two ghosts," Jack growled.

Maddie was instantly at his side, glaring coldly at the screen. "Let's go," she said as she threw Jack an ectogun while pocketing her own.

"I'm coming with you," Vlad said.

Both ghost-hunters looked at their friend, then at each other.

"Uh, Vlad," Maddie said timidly, not wanting to hurt the man's feelings. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Yeah, buddy," Jack interjected, feeling bad for the man. "I know you want to help and all, but we didn't train you yet for this, and we don't want you getting hurt."

The man looked like he was going to say something to object but seemed to think twice about. Heaving a sigh, he said, "Okay, I'll be here when you get back with Daniel."

Jack nodded. "Okay, V-man," he said grimly, too worried about what kind of shape his son was going to be in to really give his friend a proper goodbye. He turned towards the door to follow his wife, catching it just as it was about to shut. With another nod towards his old college friend, he ran to the GAV.

Maddie was already in the GAV with her seatbelt on but the time Jack made it to the driver's side of the vehicle. Within the next minute, he was already driving wildly fast on the road, disregarding the normal traffic laws even more than usual.

"Two bazookas, six ectoblasters, one specter deflector, three small ectobombs, and two thermoses," Maddie said. Jack looked over to see she was twisted in her seat, taking stock of the weapons in the back of the vehicle. After finding out their son's secret, they started to keep a lot more weapons in the GAV for times like these when they needed to leave quickly to help Danny.

Maddie twisted around so she was facing the windshield once more. "That should be enough for two ghosts."

"Ghosts don't usually team up like this," he said to his wife as he made a rough turn.

"They are getting smarter," she replied, keeping her steely gaze on the passing buildings.

Jack couldn't help but feel a heavy weight of dread sitting in the pit of his stomach, and that's when he thought the same thing he always did when this happened: what if this time they are too late? But, he didn't dare say it, not in front of his wife. He looked over at Maddie to see she was gripping her hands into tight fists, tight enough where he could see the whitening of her knuckles.

He would have put a reassuring hand on hers if it weren't for the fact he was driving more recklessly than usual. He pushed whatever doubts he had out of his mind, knowing he had to be the one out of the two of them to do it. He had to believe his son was okay.

"He is going to be okay," Jack said, glancing at his wife. She looked back at him, the same fear he was trying to hide in her eyes. "It's Danny," he said as if to reassure both her and himself.

He wanted to say something more to help his wife. He could see the tension in her, but he saw his son surrounded by the two ghosts coming into view. And, it wasn't looking too good. "I see them," he growled, making the vehicle come to a jerky stop and flinging himself out of it.

Maddie was at his side instantly, pulling out two bazookas and handing one to him while he clipped two ectobombs to her belt and slinged the thermos over her shoulder, doing the same to himself.

They both ran to where the fight was taking place, taking aim at the two ghosts. On a synchronized cue, they fired.

Maddie's blast hit the middle of SkulkTech's back while he hit Ember square in the chest, making the ghost plummet to the ground, creating a cement crater in her wake.

Jack ran straight to where Ember was, knowing the blast wouldn't keep her down for long. He aimed the gun at the already stirring ghost. "Make one move, and there won't be anything left of you to send back to the Ghost Zone.

Ember smirked at him. "You can't tell me what to do."

Before he could do anything, the ghost strummed her guitar, sending a wave of energy towards him.

His son suddenly appeared in front of him, holding up a ghost shield. He was only holding it up with one arm, the other dangling unnaturally at his side.

"You know, Ember," he gasped, letting down his shield as the attack ended. "I don't think you should anger the person holding the bazooka even more. Especially a Fenton."

"I'm going to kill you, dipstick," the ghost growled as she stood from her crater of cement.

The distinct sound of a thermos came from the left of the ghost. He barely had time to look over in the direction of the sound before the ghost was pulled in the swirling vortex that could only be created by the Fenton Thermos. By the time he did look in the direction where the vortex disappeared, he saw his wife holding the thermos with a stormy expression on her face.

Jack smiled, leave it to his wife to save the day; but that was never a surprise. "Good job, sweet-cheeks!"

Maddie jolted, her expression turning startled as she looked at Jack. He could tell she was still furious with the ghosts, especially since that one was about to toast both him and his son, but the minute she looked at his smile, she slowly began to smirk at him.

Jack looked around then, remembering there was another ghost in the fight too. "Where's the other one?"

Maddie's smile grew wider as she brought up the thermos, shaking it slightly.

"Man, that's hot," Jack said, smiling brightly at his wife.

"Nice aim," Danny said right beside Jack. He was holding his left arm tenderly, but the smile on his face never wavered.

Maddie came to Danny instantly, giving him a searching look, trying to pick out if there were any more injuries. She placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

Danny cupped her hand. "Mom," he whispered, eyeing the ever-increasing media closing in on them.

Jack looked at the media too, knowing what his son meant. The Fentons couldn't be seen worrying about Danny Phantom as if he was their son, that was a little too close for comfort if they wanted to keep Danny's secret.

Even though Jack understood this, Maddie, on the other hand, was worried about something entirely different. Her eyes narrowed at their son. "Why didn't you call us?"

"Phone is still broke," he said, smiling innocently at her.

She growled. "Danny—

"I'm fine," Danny interrupted, looking at both Maddie and Jack.

Maddie gave him an unconvinced look, then looked at the media starting to come closer to the three. She let out an aggravated huff.

"Get in the GAV. We will talk about this later."

"But—

"Daniel James Fenton," she harshly whispered, "If you don't do as I say, so help me…"

Danny winced back from her. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

Jack could only chuckle at him, for once not being on the receiving end of his wife's overprotective side.

* * *

"Mom, I'm fine," Danny said as they all got out of the GAV.

The door to the house opened, Vlad came through. He looked at Maddie and Jack, then at Danny. "Are you okay?"

Danny huffed, frustration knitting his eyes together. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine. Now, go to the kitchen and sit down. I need to find the first aid kit."

"Upstairs bathroom in the bottom cabinet on the left," Danny said automatically.

Maddie gave him an alarmed look, but quickly left to go get the kit.

"I think you just made it worse," Vlad said.

"I don't think that's possible," Danny said with a wince.

"Come on, let's do what your mother said and get you to the kitchen," Jack said. He gave his son a questioning look. "Do you need any help?"

His son shook his head. "I can manage."

The three men walked through house, both Vlad and Jack watching the youngest Fenton like a hawk.

Danny went straight to one of the chairs, sitting down carefully. He was still cradling his left arm.

"It looks broken," Jack said, pulling a chair in front of his son and sitting on it to get a better look at his arm. He touched the already swelling lump in the middle of his son's forearm. There was another lump forming towards the end of his arm near the wrist.

"Looks like it's broken in two places," he corrected, trying to hide just how much it bothered him. He knew Maddie was freaking out enough for the both of them. He had to keep his head for the sake of his son.

"Yeah, pretty sure it is," Danny said, looking at his arm. "I have to reset it if I want it to heal faster and in the right way."

"Do we need to go to the hospital?" Jack said, looking back at Vlad, who was leaning against the breakfast bar, with an unsure expression.

Vlad didn't notice Jack's attention, still looking at Danny. The only sign of how truly concerned his friend was, was from the grim set in his lips. He knew Vlad cared a lot more for Danny than the man let on. That was another reason why he was thankful Vlad knew about Danny. His son needed as much support as possible.

"No, I can do it," his son said off-handedly.

Jack's eyes widened. "What?"

"I can do it," he repeated, giving him a weird look.

"H-how do you know how to reset a bone?"

His son looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation.

"You've done it before," Jack guessed, feeling almost sick to his stomach at the thought of his son resetting his own bones enough to know exactly how to do it.

"Yeah."

"How didn't we know about this?" Jack pressed.

Danny half-shrugged, lifting only one shoulder. "I didn't really tell you guys. Besides it happened less after you guys found out."

He stared at his son blankly for a minute. He looked momentarily back at where his wife disappeared to then back at Danny. "How 'bout we don't tell your mom that."

Danny looked at the stairs, wincing. "Yeah, let's not."

Jack laughed, mussing up his son's hair affectionately.

"If you two want to keep it that way, you better do it quickly before she comes down," Vlad said, giving the stairs a meaningful look.

Jack gave his friend a grateful nod, then turned toward Danny with a grim expression. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

Danny shook his head. "I got this. It's actually pretty easy with a little intangibility and invisibility."

Jack cocked his head to the side, not really knowing what his son was getting at.

Danny laid his left arm carefully on the table, easing it down gently with the other hand cupping it to avoid any further movement of the broken bones. Once the arm was securely placed on the dinner table, as if to demonstrate what exactly his son meant, Jack watched in fascinated horror as Danny's arm slowly became invisible section by section, through the skin, through the fatty tissue, muscles, until all he saw was bone embedded between muscle tissues and vessels. Jack felt his stomach drop. He could see where the two parts of the bone was nastily broken.

"And, now all I need to do is just push it into place," Danny said, using his other hand to maneuver the first broken section of the bone.

And that's when Jack felt it. The queasiness. His vision blurring. It was all happening too rapidly for him to even look away. And, suddenly, everything went dark.

* * *

Jack's body slid out from the chair, falling to the tiled floor of the kitchen with a resounding thud.

Danny just stared blankly at his dad, hand still poised in his arm. "Did he just…"

"I'm surprised he made it this long actually," Vlad said with a chuckle.

Danny looked to Vlad, giving him a questioning look.

Vlad shrugged at the him. "Jack never like human anatomy, well, at least the part where we had to dissect a cat in college biology."

"Huh," Danny said. "But, why did he threaten to dissect me all those times?"

Vlad gave him a leveled look. "I think that was your mother."

"Oh. Oh, yeah, right."

"Besides," Vlad said with a smile, "ghost anatomy isn't really like human anatomy. Half-ghost, however, is a different story."

"So," Danny said, looking at the unconscious body of his dad. "What are we going to do, now?"

"SERIOUSLY?" Roared a very angry Maddie Fenton who was staring at the scene currently in the kitchen. Danny was pretty sure most of her anger was directed at him and his dad, with his dad being passed out on the floor and Danny being caught red-handed, literally, with his hand deep in his arm and a bone that wasn't fixed yet.

Danny looked helplessly at Vlad, hoping the man, with all his cleverness and past scheming, had a way to get out of this; but whatever hope he had withered out of existence when the man looked at him with the same fear in his eyes.

Yeah, there was no way any of them were getting out of here anytime soon today.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Man, had such a writer's block for this. For some reason it was so hard being in Jack's perspective. Next up, is Tucker, Danny, and Dash. One of the reviews said they wanted to read more about this, which got me thinking about the funny dynamic these three could have._**

 ** _Also realized the description of the story doesn't really fit the story...so might have to change that although have no idea how to describe this without it sounding boring._**


	4. Roomies

"What happened to your arm?"

Danny half-shrugged at his biology lab partner, Casey. She was as tiny as Sam, but the similarities ended there. She had blond hair that was currently pulled into a French braid stopping mid-back and hazel eyes.

She was looking at his arm, which was wrapped with gauze and resting in a sling. He hated wearing it but promised his mom he wouldn't take it off for at least two days, despite telling the matriarch that he was fine without it. But, when your mom was a ninth degree black-belt in possession of a thermos, you did what she said, and there wasn't much room for argument.

"I fell." He knew it was a stupid lie but couldn't really think of any other excuse right on the spot like this. Sam was usually the one who thought of them.

Casey raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but luckily didn't push any further. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah, just annoying." Danny sat on the stool next to hers and took out a pencil and the required lab workbook. Luckily, he could still write since it was his left arm that was broken, but the sling was still annoying.

The rest of class went by pretty quickly. It was frog dissection day. Since his arm was out of commission, Casey had to do most of the actual dissection while Danny took notes, but it wasn't all that bad since they were let out early.

"Hey, Danny, wait up."

Danny was already in the hallway when he heard the very familiar female voice. He looked back to see Casey. He waited for her to catch up, maybe he forgot something. Between all the random ghost attacks and strange team-up between Ember and SkulkTech, he had been a bit scatter-brained the last few days. He couldn't stop thinking there was something much deeper going on than just the usual animosity the ghosts had for him; it was just too coordinated. Usually, by now, somebody should have shouted out their evil plans to destroy him and take over the world.

"Man, I had to call your name three times before you answered. You're really out of it today," she said once she caught up with him.

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind I guess."

Danny began walking towards the main entry way, knowing Tucker was probably already waiting for him outside. Both of their classes were in the same building, and he usually got out early all the time. Casey followed alongside him, matching his stride.

"Problems with Sam?"

Danny looked at her, trying to figure out why she would ask that. She was looking at him strangely, but he decided to just ignore it. Maybe it was a girl thing to automatically assume that.

"No, Sam's great. Just other stuff, I guess, school and stuff." Plus, the raging ghosts that seemed to have an out-of-the-blue increased desire to kill him.

"Oh, your internship with Mr. Masters. He still has you working nights?"

He forgot he told her about that.

Casey liked to invite Sam and him to parties and local bars a lot. After the fifth "I can't," she pressed him further why. He had to come up with a more permanent excuse why since he usually patrolled at nights. Between patrol and studying for classes, he rarely had time to go out. Besides, the moments when he did have time, he just wanted to spend it with Sam or Tucker and Dash, not in some crowded bar. Since he and Vlad were already on good terms and was giving him a scholarship already, he blurted out about an internship for the local billionaire and mayor. It was actually a pretty good lie and worked with all the other times ghost attacks interfered with his life, especially since Vlad had no problem covering for him.

"Yeah, that too," he said, hoping she would stop asking so many questions. He opened the door to outside, holding it open for Casey to pass through.

Tucker was leaning against one of the stair railings. When he saw Danny and Casey, he walked over, smirking. Danny nodded towards him.

"Hey, Tucker," Casey greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Casey," Tucker said, his smirk widening. Danny raised an eyebrow at him, not really knowing why he was smiling like that at her. He thought Tucker was interested in Valerie still, not Casey.

Not wanting to think this any further, especially since this could lead to a very pissed off Valerie, which Danny definitely did not want to get into, he looked back at Casey, trying to end this quickly before Tucker said anything else. "I'll see you later."

He quickly pulled Tucker away, but was too slow, his friend still had time to turn back to Casey. "Yeah, see you later, Casey!"

Danny gave him a questioning look. "Why are you being so weird."

Tucker laughed, then looked at Danny as if he was expecting him to join in.

Danny just gave him another questioning look, still confused on why Tucker was even acting this way.

Seeing that Danny wasn't getting the joke, Tucker just rolled his eyes. "I thought by the time we got to college you would be less clueless, but I think it only got worse."

Danny glared at him. He hated the clueless jokes. Okay, well, he didn't hate when Sam joked around about it. He rarely ever minded that, especially since it made her laugh, but for Tucker and the other guys, it was different. It felt like he was missing out on some big joke, and even worse, he was the joke he didn't get.

They came to a stop at a large building.

"Tucker, why are we going to the gym?" Danny asked, giving his friend a questioning look. He wasn't really paying attention as they walked, following Tucker's lead.

"Promised Dash we would meet him here."

"I can't work out with this thing on," Danny said, making a motion with his arm

"We will be there for motivation." Tucker smirked, entering the building.

They easily found Dash. He was the only tall and extremely muscular student in the building, considering this was during the time a lot of people either had another class or went back to their dorms.

The two boys weaved around the various workout equipment, making their way to their friend.

Dash spotted the two easily and waved them over. His gaze zeroed in on Danny's arm. "What happened to the arm?" Dash nodded towards the sling supporting Danny's left arm.

"Ember and SkulkTech."

"They're double-teaming, now?" Dash picked up two fifty pound dumb-bells, beginning his first set.

"Yep," Danny said as he watched Dash lift the weights with each rep.

"Parents go nuts?" Tucker asked, sitting at the bench on the other side of Dash, taking a granola bar from his bag and taking a bite out of it.

Danny gave him a look.

Tucker looked at the granola bar then back at his friend. "What?"

"We literally just had lunch two hours ago."

"So, it's my 2 o'clock snack!" he justified, taking another bite.

Danny rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore that comment and answer the previous question. "Mom did. Dad was pretty cool though. Luckily, Vlad was there to be a buffer."

"I will never get used to the fact that you just used luck and Vlad together in the same sentence," said Tucker.

Danny laughed. "You and me both."

"You guys had something against Masters or something? I thought he was helping us out," Dash said, putting down the weights for a small rest period in between sets.

Danny exchanged a look with Tucker. Danny wasn't exactly comfortable when the topic came to Vlad and how he used to be his archenemy. Only Tucker and Sam knew about how Vlad was half-ghost and used to be Plasmius. He didn't want anybody else to know; it wasn't his secret to tell despite the complications it was probably going to cause with the other people that knew his own secret, his parents for sure.

Before Tucker could say anything, Danny stepped in, knowing his friend wasn't exactly the best at the whole secret thing. "It used to be kinda weird between him and me because he had a thing for my mom and hated my dad."

Dash looked over at Danny, giving him a disgusted look.

"Yeah," Danny laughed. "But, now, it's cool. He's over it and pretty much made amends with my dad."

"That's still kinda messed up."

"You have no idea," Tucker laughed.

Danny glared at Tucker. Sometimes he really wondered how he made it this far without everybody knowing his secret with his friend's big mouth.

Luckily, Dash didn't seem to notice, rolling his eyes as he started loading the bar at the bench-press station with weights.

"How did the date go with Paulina?" Tucker asked from his bench.

Danny gave Dash a questioning look. "You went on a date with Paulina?"

Dash laughed. "Where have you been? The date was like a week ago."

Danny shrugged. "Ghosts," he supplied. It was getting weirder now. The ghosts were attacking a lot more lately, and the frequency increase was not the only thing that was weird about it.

"Yeah," Dash said knowingly. He laid on the bench, positioning himself so the bar was over his chest. "You haven't been at the apartment lately. I thought you were just with Sam."

"I wish," Danny said as Dash began his set. "The ghost attacks are happening a lot more now, and that's not the only thing. They are changing their patterns."

"How is that bad?" Dash puffed out as he lifted the incredibly weighted bar with effort.

The answer to that would have been obvious to any seasoned ghost-hunter. Danny sometimes forgot how Dash was still new to the whole ghost-hunting gig, having been told only six months ago about his extracurricular activities. Ever since then, Dash enthusiastically offered his help whenever he didn't have football practice or a game. Danny had to admit, for being a newbie, Dash caught on pretty well. He was a pretty good back-up when Sam and Tucker were not available.

"Ghosts are very habitual in pretty much everything they do. For them to change like this…I don't know," Danny said, struggling to come up with some sense behind all of this. "It's just weird."

Dash finished his set, rising to sitting position. "Did your parents have any ideas about this?"

"They're stumped too."

"Yeah, yeah, the ghosts are upping their game to kill Danny. What else is new," Tucker interrupted. "More importantly, how did the date go?"

Danny glared at his friend, but instead of a retort, he just rolled his eyes.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Dash asked, giving Tucker a look.

"I'm living vicariously through you, that's why."

Dash's look turned sympathetic. "Valerie still giving you a tough time?"

Tucker laughed. "Baby steps. Don't want to spook her."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Spook _her_? You do know she is a ghost-hunter, right?"

"No shit," Tucker said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't kick _my_ ass."

"I'm still trying to get why you have a thing for her," Dash said. "She's kinda scary."

"As the guy she shot at for the majority of high school, I second that," Danny said with a laugh.

"You're one to talk," Tucker said towards Danny. "Face it Danny, you and I just like the dangerous ones. Also, she's hot."

"And, there it is," Dash said with a laugh before going back under the bar to start another round of reps.

* * *

 **I love the idea of Dash, Tucker, and Danny being friends. This might continue.**


	5. Scheduling Difficulties

"Hey, can you take this Thursday? I have an exam Friday morning that I would like to pass?" Valerie asked as she plopped down in front of Danny at the small corner table in the local coffee shop.

"Well, hello to you too, Val," Danny said. He already made himself comfortable with his bio lab homework covering half the table and a large cup of coffee on the side.

Valerie rolled her eyes; then, glanced back at the counter to see Sam was working tonight too. The goth was talking with a customer, not paying any attention to her boyfriend and Valerie.

Guess that was why he was early today, usually she was the first one here. However, Sam usually tried to get the Sunday night shift since Danny and her met this day and time to hash out the upcoming week's patrol schedule. Something she and her grades were very grateful for, especially with the ridiculous increase in ghost attacks recently.

"So, can you?" she asked again, getting out her planner and a pen.

"Sure," Danny said, already scribbling down the change on a random paper he fished out of his book-bag.

Valerie only raised an eyebrow at this. The boy definitely needed to be more organized if he was going to survive in college.

"Thanks," Valerie said, smiling. Thank goodness Danny was extremely easy to work with. "I'm already behind in psych."

"How are you already behind? The semester just started," Danny said as he started clearing the table of his school work to make room for her.

"Last week's patrol literally took forever—I filled two freaking thermoses—and I overslept and missed class," Valerie rolled her eyes. "Of course, I missed the class that he gives a pop quiz in."

Danny's expression turned sympathetic. "Yeah, that was me last night."

"What is with all of these attacks. I thought they were scared of you now," she glared at him playfully.

Danny laughed. "Guess not."

"Well, you're not that scary, so I can see why," she said teasingly. The thought was so funny that it made her think of how it used to be between the two of them before she knew his secret. She couldn't believe she once thought Danny's alter ego was evil. It was so strange that that was once the case that she laughed out loud.

"Okay, it's not that funny," Danny said, glaring at her with a pout on his face.

This only made her laugh again.

"Oh, before I forget, circle around to the docks when you're on patrol," Danny said. "Caught a lot over there last night."

"How the hell do they keep getting out so fast?"

Danny shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. Mom, Dad, and Vlad are trying to figure out why though, but all they could find so far were increased spectral energy spikes throughout the city. There really isn't any rhyme or reason with the locations though, and they can't pin down the reason behind the energy spikes because by the time we get there, there isn't any physical leads."

"And, what does Vlad think about this," she said, but she couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.

She really didn't like him no matter how many times he said he changed or how many times he helped Danny. She still believed they should have outed him to the Fentons, but grudgingly accepted Danny's decision to accept Vlad's apology and give him a second chance, something she was never going to do personally. As of now, Danny and she were at an impasse about the man and tried not to talk about him as much as possible.

Danny shook his head. "He can't make it out either. But, he did say it almost looks like the energy levels when he teleports."

"That is not comforting." Despite her hating the man, Valerie had to admit he did have his uses. Vlad had twice the knowledge about the Ghost Zone and ghosts than Danny and her put together.

"I know," Danny said, groaning. "You know, I really miss the days when it was a simple as Technus screaming out his plans."

"That was annoying," Valerie barked. "But, helpful."

Valerie looked at Danny more closely. He was smiling at her joke, but she could tell he was troubled by all of this. She looked exasperatedly at him, finally taking in all the signs in the past few months. "You think they are planning something, do you?"

Danny sighed, looking to the side grudgingly. "I would be surprised if they weren't."

"But, what else are they going to do? It's not like they have been able to beat you before." She knew he knew what she really meant.

Danny had always been strong, even when he first became a half-ghost, but now, he was on an entirely different level. She knew he didn't like to talk about it, but Danny was now considered one of the strongest ghosts to ever exist with his energy levels alone, not to mention with his ghostly wail, a power Valerie had only seen once. She still couldn't believe the amount of damage it caused.

"They're getting stronger, though."

"You're talking about SkulkTech, aren't you?" Valerie glared at Danny, thinking about how he broke his arm during the fight. "You should have called me for back-up."

Danny groaned. "My phone was broken."

"Well, get it fixed, loser," Valerie demanded as she reached over and punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey," Danny exclaimed, batting her fist away. "I already got chewed out by Mom and Sam; I don't need it from you, Miss I-overslept."

"That was so not my fault," Valerie said, swinging her other fist at his shoulder.

Danny blocked her. "Neither was my phone."

Valerie pulled her fist away and smirked. "Okay, I'll accept that."

"Good, because I have enough bruises for today," Danny grumbled.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "You're such a baby."

"I didn't know you liked hitting babies, Val," Danny said with that dorky smile on his face.

"I should hit you again for that dumb joke," Valerie glared. "I swear, they are getting worse and worse."

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but Valerie swiftly held up her hand to stop him. "Don't you dare say a pun."

Danny raised his hands, either to placate her or to block her, she couldn't tell—probably for both reasons. "I wasn't going to say anything. I was just going to ask if you needed me to take any more days this week for patrol," he said, obviously lying. Then, he whispered to himself, "Besides my puns are freaking awesome."

"I'm just going to ignore that," she said. "But, could you also take Friday? Casey invited me to a party."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, sure. I have no tests this week." He scribbled the date on his makeshift schedule. "Sam and I can make it a date night."

"Actually, Casey invited you too," Valerie said, although she knew he probably wasn't going to come. Danny never really went to parties. She partly thought of the reason being he was so used to never getting invited, considering high school and all. "Just in case you want to come. You could get your parents to patrol that day."

"Nah, I rather spend that night patrolling with Sam," Danny said, glancing towards the goth's direction. "Hopefully, there's no trouble, and we can do something else after."

"Casey's going to be pretty upset about that," Valerie smirked, not at all guilty about that fact. She knew the girl's true intentions. After all the time she spent with the popular crowd in high school, she was very capable of sniffing out the Paulina's of the world. Besides, she liked Sam and found they shared more in common than either of them thought. She had her back, just like she knew her friend has hers. It was nice having another girl to talk to, especially one that did just as much ghost-ass kicking as her.

"Why?" he said, scribbling something else on the paper. Valerie couldn't read what it was since Danny's handwriting was practically chicken scratch.

"I think she is hoping I will convince you to come."

"Why would she want that?" he asked while keeping his attention on his scrap of paper, probably looking for any possible problems with the patrol schedule.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "So clueless."

Danny let out an exasperated sigh as he looked up to glare at her. "Why does everybody keep saying that?"

"Because you are," Valerie deadpanned, but couldn't help the smile on her face. "But, it's okay. It's one of your few endearing qualities."

"Few? You mean I have others?" Danny smirked.

"That wasn't supposed to be a compliment," she rolled her eyes.

"Well, from you, it practically is," Danny said, returning his attention to the schedule once more. "Are you going?"

"Probably," Valerie said.

Danny looked up at her again, with wide eyes and a questioning look on his face.

"Don't look that shocked," Valerie glared. "I used to have social life, you know."

Danny laughed. "I just can't picture it, really."

Valerie really couldn't help it. It was between Danny's infectious laugh and the sheer ridiculousness of imagining herself among a crowd of drunk normal college students.

"So, are you taking Tucker?"

The smile slipped off of Valerie's face. She looked to the side guiltily.

Her dating Tucker was already confusing and difficult of a subject without talking to Danny about it. She knew Danny was her friend and all, but she didn't want to put him in the middle of it. She usually could talk to Danny about anything—actually it was easy to because they were so much alike. They both had these responsibilities that nobody else had. She was grateful for their friendship, and she didn't want to mess it up by talking about his best friend.

"What's wrong? I thought you two were dating?" Danny asked, she appreciated there was no accusation in Danny's tone. He was just a friend that genuinely wanted to know.

"I just figured what's the point, you know?" Valerie said with a shrug, still not able to meet his eyes. She didn't want him to know how much it truly hurt her to say those words.

"What do you mean 'what's the point?'"

Valerie groaned. "Just what's the point of getting into a relationship with all of this going on."

Understanding crossed Danny's face. "You think that ghost hunting is going to come in between you two. You think somebody is going to get hurt because of our enemies."

Valerie looked at him, then. "Don't tell me you don't think the same thing about Sam because I know that would be a lie."

"I'm not going to deny that," Danny said, shaking his head in surrender. Then, he looked up at Valerie and smiled, "But, then, I tell myself I'm being dumb because I know that she can definitely take care of herself, and she's even saved me just as many times as I saved her."

"You still worry though," Valerie accused, not letting go of the fact. She knew he did because she did, and she didn't have nearly as many enemies as Danny. She already worried one day her dad was going to get stuck in the crossfires. She didn't want Tucker there as well, no matter how much she liked him.

Danny sighed. "Val, I've been where you are. You have to let yourself live your life because if you don't, well that really isn't much of a life, is it?"

"Yeah, but it's not fair to him."

Danny chuckled. "I think if he could survive all these years being best friends with the half-ghost freak, he can definitely hold his own in whatever happens if you decide to date him."

Valerie glared at the half-ghost. "I feel like there is a double meaning in that statement."

Danny laughed, but raised his hands up in mock-surrender. "Please, don't hit me."

* * *

 **Probably some errors. And sorry about the long wait, I'm not really consistent with this story because it mainly started out as a stress relief. But, I'll be having a lot more time-I hope-because I'm graduating nursing school this December! And will start my new job as a nurse in January. So, no more school!**


	6. Into the Lion's Den

She found Tucker waiting for her at the designated meeting place on the curb nearest to the current residence of the wealthiest man in Amity Park, better known as Vlad Masters, the other resident half-ghost of the city.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm surprised I didn't have to drag you all the way out here."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Did I seem hesitant in the texts? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I initiated this."

Sam stopped in front of Tucker, looking him in the eye with a wire smile. "Only because you beat me to it."

They smirked at each other, recognizing their need for banter to cover the nerves. A habit of Danny's that grew on them both.

Just like the well-oiled machine they were, as if on cue, they began walking to the local billionaire's home.

"So, how are we going to get in?" Tucker asked, looking ahead.

Sam pushed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket to fight off the chill of the night. "Well, if he is truly friendly like Danny says, then knock."

Tucker side glanced her skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Knock?"

"Yep."

"This is not nearly as fun as it used to be," he huffed, the cold making his breath visible, curling up in the air as if to emphasize her friend's protest.

"I don't really understand what was so fun about the whole breaking and entering in the home of our best friend's evil archenemy."

"Don't lie. You know it was fun."

Sam barked a laugh, remembering the time Tucker and she busted through the man's top-secret lab with the Specter Speeder. While Danny had his moments, they truly took the cake in the crazy ideas department and put a middle finger up while doing it.

They stopped at the over-extravagant gate, peering up at the large mansion that laid ahead. While Vlad was apparently a new man, his taste for luxury remained the same.

"Still think knocking is a good idea?" Tucker quipped.

She rolled her eyes but didn't answer, turning her attention to the call box. She pressed the button, hearing a loud beep in response to her touch.

"Hello?" Sam was surprised to hear it was the billionaire himself. His staff must have been gone for the night, if he even had staff. The older half-ghost had distinct habits and a much understandable need for privacy.

"Hey, Vlad, it's Sam Manson and Tucker Foley."

There was a breath of pause before the billionaire answered. "Is Daniel okay?"

Sam looked back at Tucker to see the same look of bewilderment reflected back at her. If the man was faking this whole truce, he was doing a damn good job at it.

"Yeah, he's fine. We want to talk to you," Sam said. "About the truce."

There was loud tone. The gate opened in response.

"I'll meet you at the door," the man said before the sound cut out with static following.

Tucker made a motion for ladies first.

Sam smirked, but walked ahead with Tucker soon joining in step with her.

"Trap?" he asked as the door came closer and closer.

"I don't know," Sam said, truly unsure for the first time of the older half-ghost's intentions. She used to think it was without a doubt, especially when she and Danny last talked about the truce at her work, but the billionaire's actions after lead her to think differently. Either this truly was genuine or Vlad was playing the long-game.

That's what lead to their little surprise attack. Both Tucker and she had reservations about this. They both knew how Danny was a bit on the extreme side about second chances and forgiveness, especially after the incident with Dan. But, neither Tucker nor she had the same commitment to such beliefs and both believed it was their duty to protect Danny. That was always their first priority while Danny's was the city's and in some cases the world.

"Maybe we should have brought Valerie after all," Tucker said.

Sam huffed with exasperation. "Your girlfriend would have probably made it worse. I like Valerie, but she still is a little too much shoot first, ask questions later. If this is truly what it is, we don't want to mess this up for Danny."

"She's not my girlfriend," Tucker mumbled, looking to the side.

"I'm still working on it," he added under his breath.

Sam smiled, eyeing her friend. "I thought she asked you out to that party that girl keeps trying to get Danny and me to go to."

Tucker laughed. "Please tell me you actually know what's up with that and not as clueless as Danny."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know what's up. Thing is I don't care. She has no shot in hell."

"That's a bit cocky," Tucker laughed.

"Call it confidence. He is my clueless dummy and nobody else's."

"Well, you're right about that one for sure," Tucker said as they came to a standstill in front of the door.

Sam gripped the hidden Fenton lipstick blaster nervously in her pocket as Tucker knocked.

Almost immediately, the billionaire answered as if he was standing there. She looked at the man, searching for any threats—old habits died hard—and if it was anybody else, Sam would have thought there was apprehension in his expression.

Despite the hour of the night, the man was still dress in his usual pantsuit but with the jacket missing from his person. His sleeves were rolled up, looking less tidy as if they were rolled up with haste rather than precision the man tended to favor.

He opened the door wider to let the two in, ushering with his hand. "Please, come in, we can talk in my study."

* * *

The three stared at each other for a long moment. They were seated in the study in front of the large stone fireplace. Tucker and Sam occupied the small leather couch while the older man sat opposite of them on one of the two leather chairs.

Sam took a breath. "I guess I better start this." She glanced down, realizing she had her hands clamped tight together in her lap. She forced herself to relax, looking at Vlad in the eye. There was no point in showing her own hand in this, not so soon. "I want to know if your intentions with this whole truce are for the reasons you said. I want to know if you are speaking the truth."

"I figured that was probably it," Vlad smiled. It was strange to see it on the man's face. It wasn't the usual creepy, sinister smile, not even the other just as equally used smug smirk. There was something different about this expression, almost gentle-looking. "Though I am surprised it took a much shorter time than expected for Daniel to accept my intentions behind the truce were genuine, I knew it would probably take even longer for his friends to be won over. If ever."

"Yeah," Tucker interceded before Sam could answer. "Forgive us if we don't buy it. There are still a lot of bad memories, mainly the ones where you're either trying to kill Danny or coercing him to abandon his family and friends."

Vlad looked down, dragging his hand tiredly across his face. His hair was slightly rumpled and the bags under his eyes truly made the man looked aged. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his voice filled with pain.

"What?" Sam asked, not because she didn't hear the man the first time, but because this was never something she expected. Sure, Vlad has always shown interest in Danny, even care, but never shown even acknowledgment for the two of them. It was a shock the man even knew their names, let alone offered an apology.

Vlad looked at her, then Tucker. "I'm sorry. None of you deserved what I did."

It was silent then. Tucker was probably struggling just as much as she was with the shock of it all.

Vlad looked at the fireplace, the light of the flames playing with his sharp bone structure, throwing shadows along the edges of his cheek bones. At that moment, it was nearly impossible to connect the image of his arrogant ghost half to the human in front of her.

"I know I don't deserve forgiveness," he said, his words quiet but cleared. His gaze still focused on the open flames. "I'm not doing it for that. I'm doing this to help. I want to help both Daniel and you two."

He looked at them with a tired smile. "I've already told Daniel this, but I owe you the same. While out there in the dead of space, with no one, it just hit me. Everything hit me. I can't explain this correctly. I don't think I ever will have the right words to do so, but I will try.

"It was like everything I repressed, every human emotion other than malice, came at once. The loss of who I was and the loss of my friends and grief and pain of everything I've done." Vlad's eyes tightened. "I don't ever want to go back to that. I've renounced my ghost half. I don't want to be that, not anymore."

"What do you mean you renounced your ghost half?" Sam questioned, edging up in her seat.

He fixed his steel grey stare on her. "I mean that if I could, I would get rid of it completely."

Sam's heart jolted. She didn't want to think what would happen if he did. Her mind instantly jumped to the incident with Dan. She knew these situations were entirely different, but she still couldn't help the warning bells sounding off in her head.

He must have seen the alarm on her face. "However, I do not intend to act on that. I do not see it working out for anybody."

"You really are different," Tucker said. Sam looked over at him. He looked half relieved and half disbelieving.

"Yes, I am," Vlad said with conviction. "I don't want to be anything of what I was. I want to be what I should have been all this time. I see, now, I've wasted so much time, missed so much. I have a family now…or I think so…the Fentons."

He looked to the side, almost seeming embarrassed. "I understand now. It wasn't what I originally wanted—with them, but it is something different and just as fulfilling if not more."

"So, this isn't just about Danny?" she said, trying to piece together what the man was implying. The way he was talking about the Fentons as if he actually regretted resenting Mr. Fenton.

The older man looked at Sam, then away, rubbing the back of his neck in a familiar way. "At first, it was. I wanted to not only make up every injustice I've done to him, but to also make a connection to the only person like me. Then, I realized in order to truly help, I had to make amends with all aspects of my life. The Fentons and you two came after that." Vlad gave his cupped hands a small smile. "I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"I believe you," Sam said. She didn't really think about her words, it was just something her gut was saying. Even though she was a natural skeptic, in this case, she felt like she had to follow both Danny and her own instincts.

Vlad looked at her then, there was such disbelief in his face.

Sam sighed, looking to the side. Even though she believed the man, there was still unease in the pit of her stomach. Again, old habits died hard. "I wanted to believe Danny about you, but I had to see it for myself."

Vlad looked at Tucker, then, the question in his eyes.

Tucker was still tensed from the conversation with his arms flexed across his chest. Her friend looked at Sam, trying to gauge if she really believed what she said. She returned his gaze with her head high.

He exhaled, his body unwinding slowly, as if the air released from his body took the tension along with it. He gave Vlad a scrutinizing look. "If the lovebirds believe you, I guess I believe you too."

"Tucker," Sam growled. She always hated that nickname, especially since he was the one that coined it.

"Wha?" he protested, blocking a hard-thrown elbow from her. "It's not like he hasn't heard it before."

"I think everybody has heard it with your big mouth."

Tucker looked at Vlad with a sly grin on his face. "You really sure you want in, Vlad? Not too late now to turn back to the dark side."

Vlad chuckled, "I think I will take my chances if that is okay with you."

Sam grinned at Vlad. She wasn't exactly relaxed, but she was starting to get the feeling with time it may come to that.

She looked past Vlad, finally taking notice of the mess that was his desk. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Working late?" She motioned behind him.

He turned back, giving his desk a grimace. "Yes, and getting nowhere, I might add."

"Nowhere with what?" Tucker asked, his interest peaked.

"The ghost attacks, trying to find the connection or at least the source behind the energy spikes."

Sam got up from her seat to take a closer look at the desk's contents. There was a huge map of the city with tags indicating the various ghost attacks and locations of the energy spikes. There were a few stacks of papers on top of the map, showing various diagrams. One paper had the energy readouts of the spikes.

She stared hard at them. She was just as worried as Danny about this. They both felt like this was only the beginning of something really bad for all of them. "You think they are mini portals?"

"No, that usually has a different energy signature," Vlad answered, standing from his seat and meeting Sam on the other side of the desk. "Besides, mini portals usually lag for a much longer time in this world due to the instability of the tear in this plane it creates. It usually needs a counterforce to close it. We haven't been finding anything when we get to these sites."

"Huh, that makes sense," Tucker said, joining them. "Usually those portals close after something or someone goes through them or like what Danny did with the thermos that one time."

Vlad gave Tucker a questioning look. "What did he do with the thermos?"

"Reversed the polarity of the portal by turning the thermos on it," Tucker supplied.

"Pretty clever," Vlad smirked at Tucker, then looked back at the slew of papers taking over his desk.

His eyes widened slightly. "Reverse," he muttered, grabbing the papers with the energy spike details. His eyes were roaming over it so fast, Sam wasn't sure he was actually reading it.

"What?" Tucker said, leaning closer to the man to look at the paper.

"I don't know how, but this seems to look like the same situation."

"Reverse polarity?" Sam asked, not following.

The man looked up at her. "The way portals work is they usually find weak spots in between the two planes—the Ghost Zone and the human world—and create an opening. There are a couple theories why, but the most accepted one being the instability of the Ghost Zone's natural environment overcoming the barrier between the two worlds and forcing a hole into the world at this weak point. These energy spikes look reversed of that process. It's not natural."

"Natural?" Tucker questioned.

The man smirked, "Well, I suppose not supernatural would be the more correct term." He looked down at the paper, then spread out the readouts on the desk, showing each of the instances where the same energy spike was shown side-by-side. All of them looked identical. "This looks like the reverse of that process, ripping a tear into the Ghost Zone instead of the other way around. As if the weak spot is being created on this plane and tearing into the Ghost Zone."

"You think it's a new ghost doing all of this?"

Sam shook her head. "It would be pretty noticeable if one was going around doing this. Especially since we've been going on patrol regularly. Something would have caught our eye eventually."

Vlad shook his head, staring at the map. "There is still no rhyme or reason to the locations either. The only consistency is the systematic way the spikes look identical, but there are no set of ghosts associated with these types of tears either." The man gave an irritated growl. "We figured out one answer and still nowhere and no leads."

Tucker chuckled, clapping a hand on Vlad's shoulder, a feat that was easier since Tucker easily had at least three inches on the man's six-foot-tall frame. "Welcome to the heroes' side, where everything is confusing and we just make it up as we go."

Sam rolled her eyes. "No, you and Danny try to make it up. The rest of us aren't boneheads."


End file.
